Kelly Park Campground

Campground: I loved the campground layout. Out site(Site 10) had a deep back back in, but once we got our rig back there, it was HUGE and nice and private. I really enjoyed it. The bathhouse was decently clean and the showers were nice and big with great hot water. There was a dish washing station that was nice to have.

The campground is about a 5-10 min walk to the springs, but it is nice and tucked away from the rest of the people coming in to use the park. The campground has its own entrance, which made it nice fighting the crowds.

The cell phone service from my cell phone was VERY low. Maybe 1 bar.

However, we use a Peplink br2 Max Pro duo with a Parsec husky antenna and I had no problem pulling in 5 bars from that.

Springs: The springs were great with a really neat natural lazy river. i HIGHLY recommend a river tube and not a donut tube. The rocks a the spring head made it hard to use otherwise.

Were supposed to be there 5 days, however had to leave early because there was high bacteria found in the water, and was told that the springs would be closed until that cleared.

Cons: getting a reservation is difficult.
Pros: walk to the most beautiful spring! There’s a swimming/tubing area and another separate kayaking area I highly recommend you check out. You can even rent a kayak or canoe. The park is very well kept and clean, the bathrooms/ showers in the campground are huge and updated. Our site was big and private. I recommend sites 13 and 14 they are the closest to the spring.

Overall:
Extremely well maintained facility with obvious continual investment and park staff that take pride in the park.

Location:
Access to Publix within 15 min.

Sites:
Outside sites are all more private than sites inside the ring.
Outside sites all have good privacy with natural buffers between them.
Power connection was good.
Water was good and at the site. Some of the sites require a longer water hose as the hose bib is not near the power pedestal.
Sites are generally level with reasonable positioning for backing into the sites without major challenges.
Good drainage during rain.
Normal dump station.

Bathhouse:
Nearly brand new, large, generous showers.
Clean
Good hot water

Onsite activities:
River run and bathing area is being completely rebuilt and should be open again around March 2021.
Good hiking/mountain bike trails
Nice playground

We reserved by phone, arrived after hours, and easily accessed via the after hours gate. We were assigned a nice site that appeared to have full hookups but we’re car camping. In January there was plenty of wood downed to build a fire. Bathrooms were clean with cute decorations. Hiking trails leave right from the campground. Lots of extra touches at this campground make a enjoyable, and memorable place to stay. We’re still talking about what a nice campground it was after 4 months of full time car camping.

We camped here for a long weekend and honestly, I’m ready to move in. A bit about the campsite first- plenty big, water and electric, fire ring (you have to bring your own wood), picnic table and hook. Our site was about as far as you could be from the bathroom and the walkway to the springs. Next time, I will try for somewhere around site 14. Bathroons and showers are decent. Swing set, group fire ring and large pavilion are all in the campground.

A short walk from the campground takes you to the amazing springs. There was a full service concession stand, but you have to bring your own tubes or rent them outside of the park. The springs get crowded in the summer, but you have the place to yourself in the early morning or evening. The springs are crystal clear and you float down about a twenty minute path. Easy to walk back to the spring head and do it over and over!

While the springs are definitely the main attraction, the 2.5 mile Kelly park loop trail is fantastic! Easy walking, tons of wildlife and deer if you’re quiet. We walked it three times and saw deer every time.

Down the road are camp joy and kings landing where you can rent or launch canoes and kayaks. We rented from kings landing and went on a crazy 8 mile paddle- all downstream, but many shallow areas where it can be tough to traverse. Oh and there are giant alligators super close. So I recommend being a little more experienced before you tackle this run.

This place is so wonderful. It is definitely our new go-to!

We camped at Kelly Park for the 4th of July weekend and I expected it to be utter chaos. Surprisingly it was delightful! There are only 26 campsites and my parents and I reserved 2 by phone about two months before the trip. Sites for non-county residents are $23 a night. NO PETS and NO ALCOHOL (bring your Tervis). The bathroom size was adequate for the amount of campers and I never had to wait for a bathroom or shower stall. Great tree canopy / very shaded. We stayed at site #19 and the only complaint we had was that the water hook up was on the opposite side from the electric. This wouldn't matter for a tent camper but it does for a trailer. We had to run to Walmart (20 miles away - also Starbucks next door) and get a longer drinking water hose. It rained almost every afternoon but the bugs weren't bad at all. I liked that the campers had a nice paved walkway right down to the springs; less than a 10 minute walk. At the springs there is a concession stand serving food, sunscreen, and bags of ice. There are TONS of picnic tables and large pavilions to rent. We walked from our site at 10am down to the spring and passed at least 20 picnickers already cooking on the grill! You can rent tubes outside of the park or at a van near the concession stand. We brought our own. For those not camping, the park closes at 10am and reopens at 3pm on the busy days because it gets so crowded.